Bethlehem names street in Putin's honour

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Last Updated: Wed, Jun 27, 2012 03:43 hrs

Amman (Jordan): Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was surprised when told that a street in Bethlehem was named in his honour.

Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian National Authority, told Putin Tuesday that the mayor of Bethlehem has decided to name a street in the city after Putin because it would show how much the Palestinians value the Russian president and the Russian people.

"Just as in this case and in others, I'm usually told in advance and for me this was completely unexpected," Putin said.

Putin and Abbas opened a new Russian centre for science and culture in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The centre was built on a ground donated to the Russian Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society by the Palestinian authorities a few years ago.

Putin said that the names of politicians should be given to streets by the future generation in honour of those who have passed away, adding that he "would like to live a bit longer".

According to Abbas, the street leading to the centre will be named after Putin.

Another Palestinian city, Jericho, has a street named after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who visited the country in January 2011.